Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1361. Exploring the Old House (8)

Lin Xi carefully removed the seal and opened the wooden box.

The inside of the wooden box was lined with a layer of yellow silk. There were no other items on the silk except for a neatly folded letter. The letter was yellowed and the edges were worn, indicating that it had been stored for a long time.

Lin Xi gently picked up the letter, afraid of damaging the fragile paper with too much force. She carefully unfolded the letter and saw neat characters written with a brush, the ink already somewhat faded, but still clearly legible.

Lin Xi took a deep breath and softly read the contents of the letter.

"I am Shi Yueci, and when I wrote this letter, I already knew that my days were numbered."

The secrets of the Moon-Hidden House are not as simple as human sacrifice; what is recorded in the ancient scrolls is merely the tip of the iceberg.

The resentment of those who were buried alive lingers because their souls are trapped in the east wing. I have tried to exorcise them, but with little success. Deep in the back garden, there is a bluestone platform, a place where the energy of the house gathers. If we can find the "Four Gentlemen Jade Pendant" and place it on the platform, it may temporarily suppress the resentment.

There are two other things to remember: never light three kerosene lamps in the main hall at the same time, otherwise the resentment will spread through the power of the lamplight.
Mirrors should not be placed directly opposite the door, lest they attract spirits to possess the body.

I have disassembled the "Four Gentlemen Jade Pendant" and hidden it in various places in the east wing and the back garden. If anyone in the future sees this letter, please seal it up quickly and prevent its resentment from leaking out and harming others. — Shi Yueci, farewell.

The letter also lacked a date, only bearing a blurry stamp identical to the previous suicide note.

“The east wing, the back garden, and the Four Gentlemen jade pendant.” Wen Yang immediately realized. “These are the next clues, right? And they even mentioned two taboos.”

"Leave the study first. It's 7 PM now, so don't touch the wooden drawers. The desk drawers here haven't been checked yet, but we must avoid these taboos for now."

Everyone left the study and gently closed the small door behind them.

Just as I reached the center of the main hall, the cold, electronic voice suddenly rang out again.

"New taboo rule: 1. Do not light up three kerosene lamps in the main hall at the same time, otherwise it will trigger a rampage of resentment."

Second, mirrors should not be placed directly opposite the door, otherwise they will attract vengeful spirits.

Current clue update: Find the disassembled 'Four Gentlemen Jade Pendant', collect them all, and go to the bluestone platform in the back garden to seal it, which will unlock the truth behind Shi Yueci's disappearance.

Current time: 19:00 PM (戌时)

The moment the electronic sound dissipated, the three old-fashioned kerosene lamps in the corners on both sides of the main hall suddenly hissed and each lit a faint flame.

The dim, yellowish light enveloped the main hall, adding an even more eerie touch to the already gloomy atmosphere.

——Holy shit!
—The lights turned on immediately when it was 7 PM?

—Thank goodness I didn't touch the drawer!
—Wait, isn't the taboo that players just shouldn't light kerosene lamps? Why are they lighting them directly?

This game is truly inhumane!

— Could the jade pendant depicting the Four Gentlemen correspond to the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum in the previous portrait?

—I definitely have to go to the east wing and the back garden. I hope I don't encounter any danger!
Su Xiaoqing's gaze swept over the three kerosene lamps.

"These three lamps were already on, so they shouldn't be considered as triggered by us, right?"

Lin Xi walked over to one of the kerosene lamps and examined it carefully.

"The lights turn on automatically. It only says that they cannot be turned on at the same time, but it doesn't say that the ones that are already on cannot be turned off. We can turn off one of them first."

As she spoke, she gently blew on the flame of one of the lamps, and the flame went out instantly, leaving only a wisp of smoke rising from the wick.

“That’s safe now,” Lu Kexing smiled. “Now let’s go to the east wing. The letter said the souls of the martyrs are trapped there, and the jade pendant is most likely hidden there.” The group walked back along the corridor they had previously traversed.

The corridor was still dimly lit, and the beams of flashlights cast flickering shadows on the walls, as if something was following them.

The east wing is located on the left side of the corridor. It has a vermilion wooden door, which is different from the doors of the other rooms. There is a small "East" character carved on the lintel of this door. There is no peephole on the door panel, only a rusty copper ring.

Wen Yang stepped forward and tried to push the door. The door was unlocked and opened with a creaking sound.

A strong musty smell mixed with a faint smell of blood wafted over, causing everyone to frown.

"It smells so musty." Wen Yang covered his nose and peered into the room. "There seem to be quite a few things inside."

The east wing was larger than the study, and the floor was also paved with blue bricks, but the cracks between the bricks were covered with moss, and the walls were mottled and peeling, revealing the yellow soil underneath.

The room contained several dilapidated wooden beds, the bed boards of which were rotten, some even broken in half. Some tattered bedding remained on the beds, emitting an unpleasant odor.

In the corner of the room, there were some odds and ends: a broken wooden box, a piece of broken porcelain, and some fabric whose original appearance was no longer discernible.

In the very center of the room, there was a round bronze mirror. The mirror was already blurry and the edges were covered with patina. The mirror was facing the door.
"Watch out, the mirror is facing the door!" Lin Xi immediately signaled everyone to back away.

--I go!
—I just said you shouldn't let a mirror face the door, and here it is!
—Has this mirror already attracted vengeful spirits?
—That's scary!

—It's a trap everywhere.

"Why is this mirror facing the door? Was it intentional?"

Lu Kexing frowned.

"It must have been here before. We need to move it to a different location, away from the door."

He picked up a thick wooden stick from the corner of the wall, slowly walked into the room, and only after confirming that there was nothing unusual around him did he signal the others to come in.

"I'll move with you." Bai followed him into the room, and the two walked to the bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror was fixed to a wooden base and was not too heavy.

One of them held the mirror, and the other supported the base, carefully turning the mirror so that the mirror surface faced the wall.

The moment the mirror turned to face the wall, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped a few degrees, and the smell of blood in the air seemed to intensify.

Wen Yang shivered.

Was there a cold draft just now?

“It’s probably due to resentment. Moving the mirror will solve the problem.” Lin Xi said, her eyes searching the room for the jade pendant. “The Four Gentlemen jade pendant corresponds to plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. It might be related to these miscellaneous items.”

The group immediately dispersed and searched the east wing carefully.

Su Xiaoqing walked to the corner where the clutter was piled up, opened the old wooden boxes, and found that they were full of old clothes and fabrics, but there was no trace of the jade pendant.

Wen Yang squatted under the wooden bed, groping around. All he touched was dust and cobwebs, and occasionally he could find some small pebbles, but there was no jade pendant at all.

"It's not here!" He crawled out from under the bed, his face covered in dust, looking like a little tabby cat.

(End of this chapter)